A Sunday Visit to the Fort Madison, Iowa Area

 On Sunday morning, October 17, Bill woke up early and went to the front of the boat to get this snapshot of the sun rising above the mighty Mississippi.  It was the start of a crystal-clear day in southeast Iowa.

The tour we chose for today was the "Lee County Agritourism Experience" so we were soon off to the Farm you see on the sign above.

They were selling hundreds of pumpkins and gourds   They had a corn maze and plenty of fun areas for children to explore.

We saw this good-looking young couple by this truck so we got a photo!!!

The farm had numerous activities for young children including this "corn pool" filled with shelled corn for the kids to play in like sand at Lake Michigan.

The  store at Harvestville  Farm had a huge variety of canned goods but we have all the food we can manage back on the boat.

                     

After Harrisville Farm we got to visit a real working dairy farm and see the livestock.  Above are Francis and Karen in the barn holding the calves.  Bill had already seen it all having grown up in rural Cass County Michigan, and Francis had farming experience as a child.  The dairy farm also operated their own small cheese manufacturing process in a brand new building just down the road.

On Monday we visit another Iowa city on the Mississippi.....Davenport.

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A Day Spent in Hannibal, Missouri

 We awoke Saturday, October 16, 2021 with the  American Melody attached to the dock in Hannibal.  After breakfast, we were greeted by this man for a walking tour and lecture in his home town.

Mr. Twain pointed out this house below in which he was growing up until his father died.  Notice the white fence in front where he gave his childhood friend painting lessons.

He walked our small group to his theater where he gave us a delightful 45 -minute talk about his life

The town of Hannibal was having an Oktoberfest and street fair so we waded in and found this vendor below....

Of course, we bought some honey that we will bring home for our kitchen.  They were from Kirksville, Missouri and are no relation to us that we know.

After lunch on the boat, Bill and Francis jumped on a tour bus and rode out to visit the famous Mark Twain Cave a few miles out of town.  We chose the shorter tour of the cave and saw Mark Twain's signature on a cave wall.  We then visited the winery across the street for a beverage before a ride back to the boat.

We had a fun  day in Hannibal with a clear blue sky and lots of sunshine.

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A Tour of Alton, Illinois Before We Board the Boat

 Below is a picture of Karen with a life-size replica of one of Alton's most famous citizens.

His name was Robert Wadlow and he was the tallest man ever known to exist.

He worked for a while at the Barnum &Bailey Circus and died at a young age, from an infection on his foot caused by a blister.

Here Francis and Karen stand next to a statue of him in a memorial park in Alton.  You can Google Robert Wadlow to learn more about this fascinating man.

Our tour bus stopped at this memorial where the last of the famous Lincoln/Dougas presidential debates were held before Lincoln was elected President.  Douglas was a foot shorter than Abe.

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Our final bus stop before  arriving at the boat, The American Melody, was here at the National Great Rivers Museum.  It was modern and had a wide display of everything a person wanted to know about the Mississippi, from prehistoric days to today.  The displays were very precise and interesting.

Tomorrow we visit Hannibal, Missouri.

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Having Fun In Illinois

On Thursday, October 14, having spent the night in a Fairfield Inn near St. Paul, Minnesota we visited the Robert and Sue Grunst residence and left our car with them after Bob dropped us off at the airport.  We had about a 1-1/2 hour flight to St. Louis which happened without a hitch,

We grabbed a taxi after we landed that  drove us approximately 30 miles north to Alton, Illinois where we checked into a Best Western Premier hotel where we will will start our river trip.

This is our agenda for tomorrow, Friday, to get our river trip started.  (above)

After a fine reception of hors d'oeuvres we proceeded to have a drink or two in the dining hall of the large Best Western Motel in which we were staying.

This is our traveling companion, Francis Hummel, who is sailing with us on this adventure.  Come back to see where this journey takes us.

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Autumn 2021 is Upon Us and it is Time to Take A Trip

 

The trees in northern Michigan are now putting on a splendid show of colors.  Karen and Bill are planning a trip next week, (mid-October),  that will take them to Minneapolis, then St. Louis, and a river trip back to St. Paul.

With Covid still a factor, we have not traveled very much since our April trip out to Montana.  (see previous posts) 

We hope to leave this Wednesday, October 13, 2021, and return Saturday October, 23.  We will be joined by another guest on our journey, so come back to see who it is.

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Goodbye Sunshine - Back Home to Cloudy Northern Michigan

 On Sunday we completed our westward trip across the northern U.P. roads of Michigan to arrive home at 5:30 PM.  Our nine-day getaway western trip had taken us 3922 miles through beautiful sunny weather.  Back home in Frederic it was 50 degrees and cloudy when we arrived. .  Karen's 2019 GMC Terrain performed beautifully but was begging for an oil change during the last 100 miles.  Now we are getting ready to mow the grass for the first time this year, do our taxes, and go find some mushrooms!

We loved Montana and especially the town of Bozeman.  Here is the Montana home we are hoping to buy when Karen hits the Mega Millions drawing like she has been promising Bill she will do soon.

Thanks for sharing our travels with us.  In October we plan to take a cruise on the Upper Mississippi, and who knows what else might pop up in the meantime - so check back in from time to time.

What A Difference A Week Makes (In Weather)

 Saturday 5/1/21 we woke up to another sunny warm day - this time in Bismarck, North Dakota, which is about one-half way across the state.  We hit the road east on I-94 to return on a different northerly route and again miss the Chicago traffic.  We crossed the Red River at Fargo and drove northeast through Minnesota toward Duluth.

Something that we had not seen before are the new type of grain silos out here in the West that look like they are made of plastic, and not metal.  (maybe white fiberglass?)

Piles of firewood stacked like tepees were unusual but must help to keep the rain off.

Throughout Montana we were happy to notice field after field of cattle grazing in the open air, often with small groups of tiny calves nearby with the herds.  It was so much better than the stinking, crowded, cattle feedlots that we have seen in Texas and Arizona and other parts of the Southwest U.S.  You know - the ones down there that you can smell two miles before you pass them.

After our normal 500-mile drive we ended up Saturday in Ashland, Wisconsin at the Best Western Hotel that you see above.  It is not today's normal Best Western and looks and feels like a miniature Grand Hotel on Mackinaw Island.  (without that kind of price $) 

The hotel sits right on Lake Superior and we got a room with a view.

The hotel had a restaurant on the ground floor and we got to eat outside on the patio overlooking the bay.

The restaurant had a large old bar and Bill kind of felt like Jack Nicholson in "The Shining" as he finished his beer.

Footnote:  Exactly one week ago when we drove through Ashland going west - the weather was 35 degrees and snowing.   Today it was 87 degrees and sunny when we returned.  What a difference a week and 50 degrees make!

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